Scott Skiles had a warning for his team after its 100-87 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night at the Bradley Center.

"There were things we were supposed to be doing out there that my staff and I know and all the players know," the Milwaukee Bucks coach said. "They know what went on tonight.

"They know if they play like that in Washington, we'll get beat."

Skiles referred to the quick rematch with the Wizards on Friday night at the Verizon Center in the nation's capital.

The Bucks lacked energy and intensity for much of the night but got a huge lift from reserves Ersan Ilyasova and Jerry Stackhouse.

Milwaukee turned up the defensive pressure as the Wizards committed 12 turnovers in the third quarter, matching their point total in the period.

"We took an overall step back," Skiles said. "When Bogues and Mbah a Moute play 52 1/2 minutes and get (three) defensive rebounds, that's not who we are. We needed multiple guys to step up and help us."

But Ilyasova contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while John Salmons continued his strong play with a team-high 22 points and four steals. Stackhouse added 13 points and three assists.

The Bucks were trailing, 15-10, when Skiles inserted Ilyasova for Mbah a Moute with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter.

"Luc's role on our team is to provide a defensive presence in the starting lineup," Skiles said. "On nights when he doesn't get that done, we've got to go with somebody else.

"Ers came in and was really active and changed the tempo of the game a bit for us. They were in and out of a zone, and he was able to get in the middle. He was on the boards. One thing about Ersan, you know every single night he is going to play hard."

Milwaukee (31-29) won for the 13th time in its last 17 games as it moved into the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race, nudging ahead of the idle Chicago Bulls (31-29) on a tiebreaker. The Bucks are just one-half game behind fifth-seeded Toronto (31-28).

"There are ways to pick apart any game," Bogut said. "The wins don't get extra dressing for playing real well.

"But the difference is if we had a game like this early on in the season, we probably would have lost. Tonight, we still grind it out. It's very hard to beat an NBA team two games in a row, and they're going to come out firing (Friday)."

The Bucks led, 56-48, at halftime and extended the lead to 77-60 after three quarters as the Wizards (21-37) had trouble handling the ball.

"We couldn't deal with the turnovers, and that hurt us," said Wizards coach Flip Saunders. "Their wings were great tonight early. I thought Ilyasova was unbelievable for them; it's energy off the bench.

"We kept fighting back, trying to do some things, but you can't turn the ball over 21 times."

Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings continued to struggle with his shooting stroke, going 2 of 12 while scoring five points and committing six turnovers.

But Skiles kept him on the floor for 31 minutes, and Jennings contributed with some pressure against the Wizards backcourt.

"My offense is just terrible right now," Jennings said. "I just went to the defensive end, and I was just trying to put pressure on the guys and make a turnover. I got an 8-second call (violation) tonight, and you really don't see that much in the NBA."

Jennings said he doesn't have the answer for his offensive struggles yet.

"I actually don't know what's going on," he said. "I work on it every day; I come in here early. I'm just in a slump. But the main thing is we're winning, so you can't be mad at that.

"As a point guard, you've just got to lead your team and do other things."

Wizards power forward Andray Blatche continued his hot streak with 18 points and nine rebounds, and guard Randy Foye added 18 points and five assists.

The Bucks stretched their lead to 95-75 in the fourth quarter when Bogut completed a three-point play.

"We're a good enough team that no team should ever be up by 20," Blatche said. "We just played sloppy."